


kittys

by Alessgrosskid (thatonegrosskid)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animagus!Harry, Autistic!Harry, Gen, Severitus | Severus Snape is Harry Potter's Parent, but for now, eventually, ill add more characters and tags and relationships and such as they come up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 13:03:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16326779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatonegrosskid/pseuds/Alessgrosskid
Summary: Harry hated having to be human. It was so bothersome, being unable to communicate with a twitch of a tail or ear, not being able to smell the emotions or intentions of another. He could never understand his uncle or aunt and especially not his cousin, they were much to loud and mean and violent for him. He never knew why he would get in trouble or what his uncle meant when he said one thing but meant another, it was just too complicated. When he discovered he could change his shape, everything was so much better.





	1. Chapter 1

Harry hated having to be human. It was so bothersome, being unable to communicate with a twitch of a tail or ear, not being able to smell the emotions or intentions of another. He could never understand his uncle or aunt and especially not his cousin, they were much to loud and mean and violent for him. He never knew why he would get in trouble or what his uncle meant when he said one thing but meant another, it was just too complicated. When he discovered he could change his shape, everything was so much better.  
When he was hurt and beaten, or running from his cousin, all he had to do was shift without being seen and run into the bushes and he was safe. He didn't have to go back until his aunt screamed for him to make dinner. That's why he ran away, shifting down to a smaller, but far faster form to sneak under his uncles fence and through trees and over dog houses and through bushes and really, the world was so much more fun when you were not weighed down by the human form. His ears twitched with every sound, his whiskers flicked every so often and he watched the creatures around him watch him, feeling how off he was even in this form.  
He eventually found an abandoned space, crumbled and derelict, but livable and private. He went back to his human form, vaguely annoyed at the lack of warm clothes in the cold space. He decided to change back, knowing at least his fur should keep him warm, and resolving that after he marked the area as his, he would sneak down to a nearby shop to get some clothes.  
But for now, he gently cleared some brick dust from a patch of sunlight, and took a nap.

 

Harry's existence was a good one, he would say. He spent most of his day lounging in his nest or chasing down the fat little birds that made their homes in the bushes, and in the evening, he would put on his human clothes, walk on his human legs down to the shops (a place called dorking he thinks?), sweep storefronts for pocket change or swipe old mens wallets while they stumbled through streets. Really, he was perfectly content.  
Until one day, he woke up in his nest to see a large owl, staring down at him on top of a crumbled wall of his nest. He slowly turned back into a human, not wanting to give the beast any opportunity to snatch him up, as he had seen owls do to other cats and birds and mice in the forest. He stepped towards it, cautiously, noting it didn't seem to startle and it had an old looking letter tied to its leg. He slowly untied the letter, watching the birds beak just in case. As soon as the letter was free, he rushed to the other side of the nest, putting a safe distance between the owl and him. He opened the thick letter and began to read.

Mr. H. Potter,  
Abandoned Nest, Leith Hill, Surrey.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Potter,  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.  
Yours sincerely,  
Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

 

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

 

UNIFORM  
First-year students will require:  
1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)  
2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear  
3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)  
4\. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)  
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.  
COURSE BOOKS  
All students should have a copy of each of the following:  
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)  
by Miranda Goshawk  
A History of Magic  
by Bathilda Bagshot  
Magical Theory  
by Adalbert Waffling  
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration  
by Emeric Switch  
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi  
by Phyllida Spore  
Magical Drafts and Potions  
by Arsenius Jigger  
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them  
by Newt Scamander  
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection  
by Quentin Trimble  
OTHER EQUIPMENT  
1 wand  
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)  
1 set glass or crystal phials  
1 telescope  
1 set brass scales  
Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS

ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK

 

Yours sincerely,  
Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus  
Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions

Harry was, before anything else, confused. Really, he didn't doubt magic was real, he turned into an animal for fucks sake, but why would a school want him? He was just a child.  
He decided to scoop some dirt up in his hands and shmear it on the page in the vague shape of a question mark before closing it back up the best he could and tying it back to the owls leg. He expected the owl to leave immediately, to leave him be to think of what has happened, but it stayed, staring at him. He frowned, trying to shoo the beast away, but it stayed still, only letting out an annoyed chirp.  
He thought for just a moment, and moved back to another corner of the nest. He kneeled in the dirt and dug up a few chunks of meat he had buried the other day, wiping some of the dirt away. He held his hand out to the beast, hoping it would take the food.  
The owl looked at him for a moment, before sweeping open its wings and swiping the meat from his hand before he could duck. With the food in its beak, it flew away, leaving harry to lay back down and sleep off his confusion.  
Waking up sometime later, he shivered, cursing himself for falling asleep in his human form. Checking around his nest, if it weren't for the missing meat in his stores, Harry would have thought the whole occurrence was just a dream. He frowned, unwilling to deal with the issue (really, how was he supposed to live an idyllic life with all of these issues). getting up to his feet, he slipped on the sweatpants and shirt he kept tied to the branches that shaded his nest and decided a walk to town would do him good. 

 

His favorite thing about going to town was the food. While shifted, he only really ate meat, enough of anything else and he'd get sick, but one of the few perks of being human was he could taste the cream and sugar in pastries and the spice of peppers and the sour and sweet and bitterness of the fruit he would barely be able to taste before.  
His favorite shop though, besides the sweets shop with the nice mousy lady, was a small odds and ends place filled with cheap clothes and shiny things he could keep around his nest to play with. The pretty silver bells attracted birds and used clothes were much softer than the nasty new ones. A good chunk of the coins he earned ended up there.  
His belly full of cupcakes and apples, he walked through the aisles in the odds and ends store, the shop owner paying him no mind despite his age. He slunk through the clothes, running his hands along the different patterns and texture pleasingly. He found a particular sweater that he was tempted to get, just to sleep on it. He grabbed it off the rack and slung it over his small shoulder, continuing his round through the shop.  
While on his way back to the knick knack area, he heard the bell ring. This shop wasn't exactly unpopular, but he still looked out to the front of the shop from behind rows of denim, spotting 2 people he’d never seen before. A sour looking man with dark hair and black fancy clothes and a green eyed older woman in a long green dress with a serious look on her face. He frowned, twitching his nose, as the dark man’s eyes caught his. While he wasn't nearly as sensitive as he was while shifted, he could feel these two were different then the rest of town.  
Feeling the sudden shift in the air, he slunk into the back of the shop, placing the soft sweater into his mouth before shifting and running out the back door. 

He was just outside of town when he wind came up from behind him, bringing with it two unfamiliar scents. He turned back to see a green eyed tabby following him along with the most massive cat he’d ever scene, looking like a wild animal. He stiffened and picked up his pace, running. The tabby and the large cat ran after him, both older and faster, but Harry had been in these woods far longer. He scampered through the trees, going under roots and through complicated paths, figuring they would follow his scent instead of thinking of the terrain logically. The sweater clasped tight in his mouth, he refused to look back, running as fast as his small body could take him.  
Smelling his nest nearby, he turned back and saw the tabby and the big cat were nowhere in sight. He  
skid quickly into his nest, tossing his new sweater to the side and hopping on top of the crumbled brick wall, watching the area around his nest from his high point. It wasn't long until he saw and smelled the strange cats coming up to his nest.  
Upset, but knowing he had no chance fighting them, he yowled, trying to scare them from his nest while he had the high ground but neither moved. He tried again, but they only came closer. Finally, he lept to the ground, shifting back to his human form and stood over the strange cats, roaring in their faces as a last ditch effort to get them away. To his shock and fear, they shifted as well.  
In front of him, in his own nest, were the two strange people from before, staring down at him sternly. The man loomed over him, greasy hair sticking to the edges of his face, sneering down at him.  
“Mr. Potter, would you like to explain what business you have living in the middle of the woods, as a cat?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a short chapter? yea. but its midterm season and if i had to look at that document one more time i was gonna scream, so.... i hope its okay.   
> also, this is my first time trying to write out a meltdown/shutdown so i took a page from my own an some experiences from across the web.

Harry’s first instinct was, of course, to run. But if he tried to get past the strangers, he would no doubt be caught, with no more luck if he were to shift and run. His second instincts were to wonder how and why these strangers knew his name, when he hadn't even known it until he had started school at the age of 7.   
“Well, Mr. Tall dark and greasy, can you explain what business you have coming into my nest?” He tried to mirror the man's posture and expression, but he couldn't change the man being three times his size.  
“I’m sure living in the woods like an animal hasn’t done much for your manners, but you will not speak to me like that.” the man grabbed for his wrist and Harry screamed. He pulled away and climbed back on top of the bricks, keeping as far from the two as possible.   
The man tried to come after him, but the woman held him back, gesturing for him to calm down. She walked to him slowly, watching him in case he ran. She schooled her face into a softer expression, holding her hands up.   
“Harry, I am Minerva McGonagall and this is Severus Snape. We’re from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where you would have gotten your letter from.” Behind her, the man glowered, but was silent.  
Harry frowned. No matter how nice this woman seemed, she was still trying to take him from his nest. “What do you want with me? I’m fine on my own.” He had lived well in this forest for three years now, he had no reason to leave.  
“Harry, your previous guardians were meant to tell you,” she frowned, seeming confused.”You were always meant to come to Hogwarts, just like your mother and father. You’re a wizard.”  
“My mother and father?” He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling his head ache, “My aunt and uncle said they were just drunks who got into a car crash.” at this, the sour looking man’s face screwed up into shock, then a low anger.   
“You’re parents hated drinking, and your father, regardless of my opinion of him, would never put you in danger like that.” He stepped forward, eyes burning, “Your mother was one of the greatest witches of her age, and loved you more than anything. She gave her life to keep you safe.”   
He was so confused, he didn't understand. He could believe his aunt and uncle lied to him, but... the thought of being loved like that, that he had had a family, that these people knew this before he had. It made his stomach twist and white noise run through his brain.  
“Harry, your parents died to protect you from a very bad man,” mcgonagall said quietly, seeing his panic,” they loved you so much, they would have never wanted-”  
Harry dropped to the ground, curling up on himself. He didn't want to hear this, any of this. He chewed on his lip, letting out a long, annoyed tone, trying to calm himself down. He felt mcGonagall kneel beside him in some attempt to calm down, but he moved away from her. He shifted and ran to his sleeping corner, burying himself in the soft fabrics he’d collected and curled up, not willing to deal with any of this.   
Then he could smelled the tabby again, slowly approaching his corner. He felt overwhelmed, like everything around him was buzzing and shaking and just too much. He didn’t want these people near him, in his space, in his nest, in his life. He could feel himself shaking but couldn't think, consumed by his surroundings.  
The tabby was beside him, trying in vain to comfort him, but it fell on deaf ears and a rapidly panicking mind. He felt cold and he knew he was clawing at his bedding, but he couldn't stop himself. The tabby moved closer to him, standing anxiously, before lying on top of him, putting even pressure on his body.   
She stayed on top of him for a long while. Harry was still panicking, but the pressure slowly soothed his shaking, his heart falling in tune with the beat that surrounded him. His mind was still a raging storm, but it faded into a deep fog as time passed.   
By the time he had calmed down enough that she could pick herself up off of him, he was hazy and tired, near sleep. The tabby curled around him, knowing well he would be in no mind to continue this conversation anytime soon, and the large cat laid by them both, prepared to wait out the storm.

 

When Harry woke up, he was surrounded by warm fur and beating hearts. His immediate instinct is to panic, but the soft warmth pulls him further in. he could tell the tabby was wrapped around him, feel her fur against his back, while the large black cat lay wrapped around them both from the front.   
He tried to stand slowly as to not wake up the two bigger cats, ready to bolt, but as soon as he was about to step over the tabby’s paws, he was grabbed by his scruff and placed back where he was. He hissed his annoyance, just wanting to get away from these annoying strangers.  
He heard the large black cat get up, shifting back to his human form and saying a strange word. The man cursed, telling the tabby to get up and that they would be needed soon. The tabby didn't seem too happy to be moved, but did as she was told without complaint. She transformed back into the serious looking woman from before and picked harry up in her arms.   
“We're already late to get you to Diagon Alley, Harry.” She told him, “we can explain all of this better later, but for now, I need you to get your things so we can go.”  
Harry growled at her, but relented, knowing well that there was no way for him to fight back. He jumped out of her arms, refusing to change back, and dragged his clothes and shiny things in front of the two, waiting for them to pick it up. The man sneered down at him, and was about to get after him, when the woman picked up his things, telling the man to stop.   
The woman held him and is things, the man unwilling to touch him. She gave the man an affirmative and before harry could hiss in his direction, he had disappeared with a pop. and before he could startle, he and the woman had as well.


End file.
